What are reforms? Once again a few words about housing and communal services

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:54

It seems that no one is asking the popular question back in the mid-90s about what reforms are. Over the past 15 years, this very concept has lost its familiar sound of “radical changes” and has become consonant with the expectation of empty changes. If something does change, then somewhere there, “above”, while at the grassroots level, no changes occur. And instead of fundamental changes, people feel the complication of life and a waste of time.

Now we need to look for new answers to the old question of what reforms are. Transformations in the medical sphere, in the field of social and pension provision are coming to the fore. However, the most urgent problem remains the reform of housing and communal services. It's no secret that pipes, water supply, sewerage, electricity, in a word, public utilities as a whole have remained unchanged since Soviet times. Communications have not been repaired for several decades, more than 80% are not only physically, but also morally obsolete. Just like the existing post-Soviet form of government, which is essentially ineffective and does not meet the requirements of the time, is outdated. Paradox: housing and communal services remain the only industry in the Russian economy wheresmall islands of private capital feel very uncomfortable in the ocean of monopoly-state pressure on any initiative to change the situation for the better.

By the way, about the changes. The answer to the question of what reforms are is quite simple. These are changes in the "rules of the game" on a foreign field, which lead to fundamental changes. For example, the reform of education, which involves the transfer of educational autonomy to universities. That is, it is not a matter of solving current financial problems, finding funds for the modernization of utility networks or the construction of new modern neighborhoods. Even if it's impossible. Only according to official data, annually the population pays 1.3 trillion rubles for services not provided. rubles. And for the primary repair requires 9 trillion. According to this logic, it turns out that the cost of housing and communal services should increase by 9 times! And the construction of new houses instead of "Khrushchev" will require nearly 25 years of time. This means that new buildings will grow old, not having time to "be born". Not to mention what to do during these 25 years, and besides, not in large cities. Russia, unfortunately for bureaucrats, is a big country…

As a result, the answer to the question of what reforms are lies in a slightly different plane. This is a demand for state-guaranteed private property rights and the demonopolization of the entire communal economy. The government, judging by the recent decision of the State Council, still intends to demonopolize the management of public utilities, transferring almost allcommunications in the hands of private concessionaires. However, management is not ownership. Especially the ownership of the land on which these communications are laid. And it turns out that instead of one state monopoly, two are born: bureaucratic and private. With different functional and market content. And under these conditions, it is not possible to keep the rise in prices for the same housing and communal services.

Besides, there is another problem. No one, probably, is already particularly arguing whether homeowners associations are needed or not. Law is law. Another thing is what to do if the HOA does not become the property of the entire complex of communications, the adjacent territory and the land on which the houses included in it are located. Without these key elements, it makes no sense to create a partnership. After all, it is obvious that the reform of the housing and communal services pulls with it both the land reform and the reform of the ATU and the budget system. And this is already a radical change…